1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk drive for receiving a removable disk cartridge, and more particularly, to an apparatus which uses a link mechanism for loading a disk cartridge and positioning the disk cartridge so that a disk accommodated therein is placed on a spindle motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
As demand for a more inexpensive disk drives increases, a disk cartridge has been developed which is removable, or separable, from a disk drive. Such a removable disk cartridge offers an advantage in that, when not in use, the disk cartridge can be separated from the disk drive and preserved in a safe place. Conversely, when in use, the disk cartridge received in a tray of the disk drive is loaded, so that information may be recorded on a recordable information medium, such as a disk, or already existing information may be reproduced from the recordable medium.
In the above disk drive, the disk cartridge is pushed by a user and inserted into the tray of the disk drive. The inserted disk cartridge is moved to a loading position near a head of the disk drive. Here, to rotate the disk in the disk cartridge, the disk drive is provided with a spindle motor whose shaft protrudes from a floor surface of the tray. For this reason, a disk cartridge loading apparatus has to be constructed in such a manner that the spindle motor shaft does not impede the disk cartridge during any movement of the disk cartridge. Further, the loading apparatus has to be constructed in a manner that, in the loading position, the disk cartridge is positioned on the spindle motor as the spindle motor shaft is inserted into the shaft hole which is formed on the lower portion of the disk cartridge.
One loading apparatus of this type known in the related art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,710.
According to the disclosed loading apparatus, when the disk cartridge is inserted into the tray of the disk drive, the spindle motor is elevated by a DC motor and a plurality of gears so that the spindle motor is brought in contact with the disk accommodated in the disk cartridge.
Another loading apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,210, wherein the loading apparatus employs a slider which is obliquely movable relative to the floor surface of the tray.
According to this type of loading apparatus, the tray is provided with an oblique elevation which is formed on the floor surface at the entrance of the tray. The movable slider is disposed on the inclined projection on its one side so that it is able to obliquely slide forward into the inner portion of the tray. Accordingly, this disposed slider comes into contact with the lower surface of the disk cartridge, and the disk cartridge is inserted into the tray at a predetermined slanted angle. The movable slider is moved together with the disk cartridge by a pushing force applied to the disk cartridge, and then at a point where the movable slider brings its rear end out of contact with the oblique elevation of the tray, the movable slider is turned into a horizontal state. Accordingly, the disk cartridge is positioned on the shaft of the spindle motor which protrudes from the floor surface of the tray. A press member is disposed on an upper cover of the tray and the press member presses down the rear end of the disk cartridge so as to position the disk cartridge on the shaft of the spindle motor at the end of the loading process. Additionally, the movable slider is provided with a latch lever on its other side. The movable slider is elastically supported by a spring in a direction (outwardly) of the entrance of tray, and is unlocked by manipulating the latch lever and is then caused to retreat in the direction of the entrance of the tray. During this process, the rear end of the movable slider is elevated by the oblique elevation of the tray, permitting the disk cartridge to be withdrawn.
The loading apparatuses of disk cartridges in the related art, however, have some drawbacks to be improved as follows.
First, the loading apparatus on which the spindle motor is moved upward and downward is so constructed that the disk cartridge should be simultaneously loaded in cooperation with the spindle motor. As a result, the number of needed movable parts increases, which only increases the possibility of malfunction, as well as requiring a more complicated structure.
Second, the loading apparatus employing the movable slider is so constructed that the disk cartridge is moved along the inclined floor surface of the tray until the spindle motor shaft comes into connection with the disk in the disk cartridge. As a result, the contact portion becomes easily worn if the sloping surface has a low inclined angle. More specifically, during the movement of the disk cartridge, since the lower surface of the disk cartridge maintains contact with the shaft of the spindle motor, the lower surface of the disk cartridge may be scratched. Further, during the movement of the disk cartridge, since the spindle motor shaft is inserted into the shaft hole of the disk cartridge with an excessive contacting force, the insert portion becomes worn and the spindle motor shaft must be inserted by using an excessive force.